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Local 591 Administrative Executive Board Member
Russ Dittmer - 2025 March - July Lookback
Sisters and Brothers,
There have been a lot of changes in the Local in the past five months. I have been very busy behind the scenes working to support the Election Committee and assist the newly elected Members of our Executive Board. The elections saw a large number of changes, both at the Board level, and also within each of the five Regions. Like any significant change, there are learning curves and internal processes which must be reviewed and/or updated. That said, overall I believe that those newly elected to the Board have quite successfully migrated into their new positions on the Board, and we are moving forward with the work of the Local, and the important work of representing the Membership.
With the Local 591 triennial elections behind us, I want to discuss the processes for both the Executive Board & Convention Delegate elections, and also for all of the Region through Station level elections. Before I dive into the processes, I first want to remind every Member that those Members among us who chose to step up and volunteer to be considered as an elected TWU Local 591 Representative made a serious commitment. Those Members raised their hand and said they are willing to help represent their fellow Union brothers and sisters in the workplace. I personally want to thank each person who stepped up and chose to put your name in to help represent our Members, regardless of whether you won or not in your particular election.
Now, on to the process side. When Local 591 was established, it was decided by the Board back then for a number of reasons, to separate the Executive Board and Convention Delegate elections from the rest of the Regional and Station level elections. While I wasn’t on the Board back then, I do recall that the reason was because the elections for those specific Board and Delegate positions are regulated by the Federal Department of Labor (DOL) election rules, whereas the other Regional and Station level elected positions are not directly regulated. Additionally, the first Local 591 President and Vice-President, Gary Peterson and Gary Schaible, explained that the Board didn’t want the Local to lose solid Union Representatives just because they lost one election. That Board decided to conduct the two separately, with enough time in between to allow those who still wanted to serve in Union roles the opportunity to do so. I personally agree with this choice, because solid Union Representatives who aspire to represent the Membership, who lose an elections, are still assets to both the Members and the Local.
I’ve been assisting the Local Officers with elections since I came to the Local 591 Board back in 2018. Back then, at least for Board & Delegate elections, we were previously still permitted to receive a PIN and vote electronically. Due to some serious issues at the federal level, and input from the Department of Labor, the TWU International issued a letter with guidance that explained that while Locals are autonomous within the TWU, the TWU International cannot support Local DOL elections done electronically. With this in mind, the former Executive Board of Local 591 chose to utilize paper ballots for our Department of Labor elections to avoid the possibility of a complaint forcing a second election, which would require using paper ballots anyway.
After this 2025 triennial election cycle was completed, and numerous discussions with the Election Committee, and internally, we at Local 591 recognized that the current paper nomination form process was a painstakingly manual, very time-consuming, and error-prone process. The paper nominations were prone to human errors, even with multiple sets of eyes looking at each election nomination form, some minor errors still crept in, including time/date entries mistakes, misspelled names, etc. In those discussions, it became very obvious that the Local needs to work to get out of the stone-age of paper nominations and find a more efficient nomination process.
Since that time, and with the approval of the new Board, I have been working with Union Active (our web-hosting service) on a proposal to build an electronic nomination system within our website, very similar to the election module we currently use for non-DOL elections. I have presented the proposal to Union Active, and I have provided a great deal of detail on what the proposed nomination module would need, and how the verification functions would need to operate. These automated functions would assist by verifying in real-time that nominees are Members of TWU Local 591, in good standing with the Local, eligible to be nominated, and in the correct Station and Classification as necessary, etc. The goal of this electronic nomination module concept is to provide the Election Committee with more accurate information. In addition, this concept would also allow the Member who chooses to run for any Local 591 office, the ability themselves to ensure their own name, contact information and other election related information is all correct, and update as they see fit on our existing website Membership registration. This will greatly reduce the potential for human error by eliminating the Election Committee transcription step. I will keep you posted as we as a Local navigate the process of incorporating these election nomination process improvements into our website.
I am pleased to announce the Local continues to strive to improve our Membership Meeting access for those Members who wish to watch virtually. While Members still cannot make motions or vote when accessing membership meetings virtually according to the TWU International, this access does provide Members the ability to remain informed on Local activities and emerging issues. In the past, in order to access a national Membership Meeting webinar, the Member needed to register in advance, and then receive a unique link via email in order to view the Membership meeting webinar remotely. Some Members expressed frustration with this need to register in advance. They asked if we could improve the process to just require log-in to our website and then click the Zoom link. We recently updated a few items on the Local 591 website, and with Member that input, moving forward, on the day of the Membership meeting you’ll only need to log in to www.local591.com and click the link at the top titled “Membership Meeting Zoom” with no need to register in advance. We will continue working to try to make access to view the Membership Meetings even easier, while also secure. The ultimate goal will continue to be providing a secure avenue for Members who cannot attend in person to view the Membership meetings.
Fraternally
Russ Dittmer
Local 591 Administrative E-Board Member
+1-214-205-4752 (cell)
russ.dittmer@local591.com
Professionalism On The Ground Builds Safety In The Air.
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